Just a Little Perspective
by gatemaker06
Summary: Post-SR. When another women turns her intentions Clark's way, will Lois finally see what's right in front of her?
1. The New Girl

Hello, this is my first story. Scary, right? If you're still reading after that, I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Superman or any associated characters.

Chapter 1: The New Girl

Lois didn't like the new society reporter. It wasn't because Perry had given the extra budget money to the society section whose daily dribble could hardly be called "news." Neither was it because this new reporter was sexy and gorgeous and most definitely knew it. It was because the newly introduced Catherine "Cat" Grant seemed to have set her promiscuous little sights on Clark Kent, and he, being Clark, had no idea.

It had started almost as soon as she arrived. In the morning staff meeting, as Perry introduced Miss Grant to the entire staff, she scanned the assortment of individuals with a certain disdain. However, the look in her eyes had changed when they reached Clark Kent. A slow vertical scan up and down was followed by a shift to a predatory stare. Lois noticed the whole thing; she also noticed that Clark's mind seemed completely elsewhere. In fact, he had that distant look in his eyes that he sometimes got, the look that meant he wasn't really paying attention to anything that was happening around him.

Lois, as Clark's partner and friend, felt a certain obligation to protect him from Miss Grant's not-so-honorable intentions. She thought about warning him right after the meeting, but when they left the office, he dashed away murmuring something about forgetting an appointment. She resolved to speak to him when he returned.

Unfortunately, those plans were dashed, as Lois had to leave on another Superman assignment about ten minutes later. This assignment turned into three hours of interviews and another two of writing before going to pick Jason up from school. By the time she had gotten back to the bullpen with Jason in tow, Cat had already made her way over to Clark's desk and was shamelessly flirting with him. There was a rather lost expression on his face, one that just screamed for someone to come and rescue him.

She bent down. "Jason, why don't you go visit Mr. Jimmy for a few minutes?"

"Okay," Jason said as he trotted off to find the young photographer.

Lois turned and strode over to Clark's desk determined to remove Cat's claws from Clark if she had to pry them away by hand.

Clark had run out quickly after the morning staff meeting to attend to a fire in another part of the city. Several hours and many other small emergencies later, he finally arrived back at the Daily Planet bullpen glad that he could type faster than the average human. He glanced over to Lois' desk and, noticing she was not there, decided that she must be picking Jason up from school. He loved when she brought Jason into the office, giving him another chance to spend time with his kid. Not that Lois knew that, she still thought that Jason only spent time with his father when Superman came to visit him.

Clark sat down, prepared to finish writing the article he had been working on before the staff meeting. Just as he opened up the document, he heard the sound of an unfamiliar female voice calling his name.

"Clark Kent, I presume?" said the voice in an obviously amused tone.

Yes?" Clark lifted his head to look in the direction of this new voice and looked into the face of one of the most sensual women he had ever seen. He hadn't really been paying attention during the staff meeting and, for a second, couldn't remember who she was.

In that second, she held out her hand and introduced herself. "Cat Grant, the new columnist. I wanted to introduce myself after the meeting, but you seemed to disappear into thin air. That's quite a trick."

Clark stood up, took her hand and shook it, wondering why she wanted to talk to him. City rarely interacted with the society section, and when it had, he had never been involved. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Grant," he said.

"Cat, please."

Alright, ...Cat." Clark was nervous but didn't know why. Cat seemed friendly if forward. Maybe that was the problem. Clark wasn't used to women being friendly with him, at least not this side of him, and he certainly had never had one come and introduce herself to him unless they wanted something like his stapler or help reaching something on a high shelf.

Cat bent down, exposing just enough of her cleavage to incite the imagination. She grabbed Clark's planner off his desk and flipped it to tomorrow's page. Taking a pen out of Clark's shirt pocket, she wrote her name followed by the word "lunch" into the two hours after noon. "As I see you're not busy tomorrow," she sad as handing Clark back his planner, "we can have lunch together and get to know each other. How does that sound?"

Before Clark could answer her, Lois came up quickly behind Cat, and stepping in front of her proclaimed, "Clark, can you help me get something from the storage room?"

Clark, startled, quickly took back his planner, and said in a high voice, "Sure, Lois."

As Lois practically dragged Clark away, Cat's voice called out behind them, "See you at lunch, Clark."


	2. A Helping Hand

Hello! Sorry this chapter is so short. It really didn't want to be written, but I made it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Superman or any other associated characters.

Chapter 2: A Helping Hand

Clark could not have been _more_ relieved than he was about Lois' intervention.

"Thanks for that, Lois; I don't know why..."

Lois cut him off. "What did she mean by 'See you at lunch'? I hope you're not planning to actually eat with that woman."

"She invited herself. Before I knew what was happening..."

Lois rambled on like she didn't hear him. "I just know that you're not always the most aware and street smart person. But trust me, she's not the kind of women you need to get involved with. She's a man eater."

"Lois"

"I mean, I just don't want to see you hurt."

"Lois"

"She's not really your type anyway."

Clark jumped in when Lois stopped to take a breath. "Lois, I'm not completely stupid. I don't plan to get involved with Cat Grant."

"Oh. Well, that's good. I guess I'll just get back to my article then." Before Clark could reply, she walked abruptly back to her desk.

SSSSSSSS

Lois left the conversation feeling a little embarrassed. Of course Clark knew how to take care of himself. The last year had proved that despite his outward appearance of vulnerability, Clark was far savvier and resilient than she used to think.

He had been her rock since Richard left her. The failure of her relationship had been both unexpected and long in coming. She had been living in denial for so long that the last nail in coffin, Jason's true parentage, caught her by surprise. She had loved Richard, but maybe she had loved the normality he let her believe in more. With Richard by her side, she could pretend she had a normal family and lived a normal life.

Who was she kidding? Lois Lane didn't do normal. No, Lois Lane had a superhero's child and now, no father for that child. Sure, Superman was "always around" but sometimes it'd be nice to actually see the man.

That's where Clark had come in. He had caught her crying in the archive room and before long she was spilling the whole sad story out to him: the truth about Jason's father, her fight with Richard, their breakup, her confusion about what this meant about her relationship with Superman. Maybe it was foolish telling him so much, but if she couldn't tell Clark, the most trustworthy person she knew, who could she tell.

He had been wonderful, more than wonderful really. He let her cry on his shoulder, helped her find an apartment, looked after Jason when she needed a babysitter, and started working as her partner again. He was her best friend and her biggest support, so yeah, he _could_ take care of himself.

Nevertheless, she really, really, really did not want to see him with Cat Grant. So she wasn't going to let her just step in and try all her little tricks. It doesn't take much for an experienced woman like Cat to fool a sincere man like Clark into believing whatever she wants.

SSSSSSSS

To say that Clark was confused would be an understatement. There was Cat's rather blatant advances than Lois' weird overreaction to the situation. Sure they had been close of late, but Lois kept things firmly in the "friend zone." What did matter if the new reporter was interested in him?

Not that Clark had planned to lunch with her anyway. Miss Grant was attractive in an openly sexual way, but like Lois had said, she wasn't his type. And he was in love with Lois, not that she knew of or returned his feelings.

Still, her behavior over the matter was odd. Very odd. After a moment, he decided consider it part of the over-protectiveness he had often seen her exhibit with Jason and leave it at that.


	3. Catnip

Hey, you guys! Sorry about the delay in uploading (serious writer's block followed by real life distractions). I'm already working on the next one, so I hope you enjoy this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own Superman or any associated characters.

Chapter 3: Catnip

Cat Grant was less than enthused by Clark's reaction to her proposal. Usually men were all over her at the slightest hint of encouragement. His response was more like bewildered confusion. He must not be used to attention from the opposite sex, though she couldn't understand why not. Clark Kent was a hot piece of ass, even though his attire indicated otherwise. You can dress an attractive man in bad suits and dorky glasses, but that doesn't change what he is underneath.

She was even more surprised by Lois Lane's actions. According to her inquiries, Clark Kent was single. He and Lois were partners but certainly not in that sense.

Yet Lois' rude interruption was obviously intentional, and the apparent chewing out she was now inflicting on Clark reeked of jealousy. Maybe the office consensus was wrong about them. It wouldn't have been the first time she had seen coworkers hide their relationship. Still...something was odd here, very odd. And she, Cat Grant, was going to find out what.

SSSS

Clark never went to lunch with Cat Grant. Instead, he spent the next two weeks avoiding her as she continued to pursue him. Lois gladly collaborated with Clark's efforts. It wasn't difficult to find ways to avoid the office whenever Cat was there. Lois and Clark partnered on their latest investigation of corruption in the mayor's office, a task that frequently took them out of the office to research and meet with contacts.

Additionally, Clark started picking Jason up from school to avoid being alone in the office. Lois had added him to the authorized list at the school in case of emergencies, so it was no trouble to give him this responsibility.

Clark enjoyed the time he got to spend alone with his son. The ride from the school to the Daily Planet building was becoming the best part of his day. Jason would talk about what he learned in school that day or ask him dozens of questions. Though he had seen Jason many times, it had mostly been with his mother around or as Superman, though the later circumstance had become more infrequent in the last few months.

Superman and Lois had agreed that Jason was too young to understand the hero's real role in his life. Superman's ambiguous relationship with Lois and Clark's growing closeness with her had made visits with Jason awkward for the hero. Who was to them? Why was he there?

Clark had a defined place, even if it wasn't the one he wanted. As he spend more time with Lois and Jason as Clark, he spent less time with them as Superman. Being there as Clark was just easier, so that is what he did.

Today, Jason had been unusually quiet when he got in the car. After about five minutes of silence, Clark decided to make some inquiries.

"You've been awfully quiet today. What's up, kiddo?"

"I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"Mr. Clark, are you Mom's boyfriend?"

Clark almost choked on the sip of coffee he had just taken. When he regained his composure, he answered Jason's question with another question.

"What makes you think I'm your mom's boyfriend?"

"Well, Mike at school, you know, the blond kid with all the freckles, asked me if you were. I said I didn't think so."

"And what did he say?"

"He said that when his dad starts spending a lot of time with a woman, she's his girlfriend, and that Mom wouldn't let you pick me up from school unless you were her boyfriend."

"And what did you say to that?"

"Nothing. I just shrugged. So...are you her boyfriend?"

Clark sighed. "No, Jason, I'm not your mom's boyfriend."

"Oh," he paused, "why not?"

Clark struggled for an answer. Neither "because I'm an idiot who pushed the woman I love away" nor "because she's always been too enamored of the superhero to see what's right in front of her" were acceptable things to say to a six-year old.

"Jason, your mom and I are just friends. Sometimes, that is all a man and woman are to each other."

"Okay," Jason said before going silent again.

"So much for having a defined place," Clark thought. For once, he would be glad when they finally got to the Daily Planet.


	4. Time Bomb

Here's another chapter. Have fun!

Disclaimer: I don't own Superman or any associated characters.

Chapter 4: Time Bomb

Lois did not like Cat Grant any better after knowing her for two weeks. She didn't know if the woman was stupid or just couldn't take a hint. Either way, nothing she or Clark did had stopped the woman from flirting and trying to arrange dates with him. How clear could they make it! He was not interested!

After day five of this behavior, Lois had been ready to confront her directly. Clark however, didn't want to make a fuss or cause a fight. As usual, the man was simply too nice for his own good.

Today, Lois was done with avoidance. She would talk to Miss Grant herself if Clark wouldn't. She just had to wait for him to get out of the office first.

Unfortunately, none of Clark's mysterious last-minute errands had taken up his attention today, and Lois had been forced to wait until he left to pick up Jason. When she knew that he had definitely gone, she preceded directly over to Cat's desk with the intention of killing her amorous intentions once and for all.

Cat was there, typing away casually on her latest column and looked up as Lois approached. "Hello, Ms. Lane. Did you need something?"

"Yes, actually, I'd like to speak in private."

"Of course, why don't go into a conference room."

The two women preceded to the empty room in the back of the bullpen where Lois got straight to the point.

"I want you to leave Clark alone."

"Why should I do that? I like Clark."

Lois was already prepared with a rebuttal. "Well, for one, he's not your type..."

Cat interrupted her, "Oh, trust me, Clark Kent is my type."

"I'm sure lots of men are your type, Cat, but I doubt Clark really falls under that category. He's shy, subdued. I don't even know if he's ever even had a girlfriend in his whole life."

"Oh, don't be so naive, Lois," Cat snapped back. "Clark Kent is a gorgeous man even though he hides it well. I'm sure he has had his share of women. And you should know that shy, subdued, attractive men are exactly my type."

Lois was struck dumb, not a very common occurrence. Cat Grant thought Clark was a "gorgeous man"? Clark, who wore ugly suits and occasionally tripped over his own feet, was a "gorgeous man"?

Cat interrupted Lois' thoughts with one last thought of her own. "Maybe you should be asking yourself why you are so concerned about Clark's love life. I should go; I still have an article to finish."

SSSS

Relations were awkward between Lois and Clark that afternoon. Clark kept thinking about what Jason had said in the car. Lois had needed a friend, and so he had suppressed his romantic feelings and been one. Now she had grown to depend on him, almost treating him like a boyfriend, but without moving forward in the relationship.

Jason's questions had brought back all those suppressed feelings. Being around Lois immediately after was making it worse, and her strange behavior toward him didn't help either. She spent the whole time glancing at him like she was trying to figure something out.

Had he let his secrets slip? He had spent so long hiding things from her, mostly his true feelings and his identity as Superman, but he couldn't imagine she had suddenly put everything together now. If she had, he doubted his reception would have been a silent chill, probably more like a fiery inferno. Or a stab with a kryptonite shiv, this time right in the heart.

Whatever her issue was, she didn't want to talk about it. Instead they spent the rest of the afternoon digging through old expense receipts from the mayor's office looking for discrepancies while Jason did his homework at the next desk over. Around six, Lois decided to call it a night, had Jason gather his things, and headed home.

Clark kept searching for another half hour before he left. After slipping into the elevator, he quickly changed into the red and blue suit and flew off to do his other job. Hopefully, he'd be able to sort out whatever was going with Lois tomorrow.


	5. Sick Dreams

Hey guys! New chapter! The original (much shorter) version of this chapter was actually the first thing I ever wrote for this story. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Superman or any associated characters.

Chapter 5: Sick Dreams

Clark spent all night performing rescues and didn't get back to his apartment until six in the morning. After a quick shower to wash off the soot from a fire in Cairo, he fell into bed to get a couple hours of sleep before getting ready for work. He walked into work ten minutes before nine, unusually early for him, and nervously looked toward Lois' desk.

She wasn't there weirdly; she dropped Jason off at school by eight and was usually at work by eight-thirty. Today, she crawled in at around nine-fifteen, holding tissues, just in time for the morning meeting. She sat down next to Clark before hacking into the waded-up ball.

She continued coughing and blowing her nose throughout the meeting. Perry kept giving her sideways glances as he handed out the morning assignments and made other general announcements. After the meeting was dismissed, the chief pulled Clark aside.

"Clark, I want you to take Lois home."

"But, Chief, you know how she is. She's all caught up in this latest investigation and she never takes sick days even when news is slow."

"I know, but I'd bet this whole paper she has that flu that's been going around, and I won't have my entire writing staff getting a fever and sniffles. Someone's got to convince her to go home, and if it's not you, I don't who it is."

"I'll try my best, Mr. White, but I don't know if..."

"You'll do more than try; you'll succeed. Take her home and keep her there. Send in your article from her home if you have to, but keep her away from my bullpen."

"Yes, Mr. White."

"Now go, when I look out there ten minutes from now, I don't want to see either of you unless its your backs."

SSSS

Clark left Perry White's office with a mission. Take Lois home, no matter what. Accomplishing that mission could prove difficult.

Lois was hunched over her desk, looking miserable as she tried to find the right files on her computer. "Stupid search function. Why don't you ever work?" Her voice was nasal and congested.

Clark bent over her, putting his fingers on the keys. "It helps if you spell the file name correctly. 'Evidence' has an 'e' at the end."

"Whatever, as long as I can find it."

Clark looked at her in exasperation. "Lois, Perry told me to take you home."

"Why? Because of a little cold? I can still work; we still need to finish looking through those receipts. There's got to be a connection somewhere." Her sentence ended with another cough into her tissue.

"I can keep looking though them, Lois. You're sick." Clark held his hand against her flushed forehead. "You feel warm, so you probably have a fever. What we should do is get you home, and put you back to bed."

Lois glared at him halfheartedly. He hated seeing her like this.

"Please, Lois. Perry will kill me if I don't get you out of her."

That did it. She sighed, "Fine, I'll go home. But I'm still going to help you."

"Sure you will, Lois," Clark bluffed.

Clark drove Lois back to her apartment, her head bobbing up and down as she tried to keep from dozing off. He talked her into going to bed by the time they got there.

SSSS

Lois couldn't sleep, probably because she couldn't breathe through her nose and woke up hacking every five minutes. Nevertheless, she tried to obey Clark's suggestion and eventually fell into a restless slumber.

_She was naked in a satiny bed. Strong arms held her tightly against a firm, muscled and equally naked chest. His embrace was so warm and comforting, like being at home, yet it was also filled with passion. Fire blazed though her body wherever her skin touched his._

_She looked up into Clark's beautiful blue eyes. "I love you, Lois," he said. His head leaned down toward hers; she responded in kind, reaching up to…. _

Lois jerked awake to a knocking on the bedroom door. She was so hot. Why was she so hot? Of course, because she had a fever. She had the flu. The knocking continued followed by a voice calling her name. "Come in," her own said shakily.

Clark walked in the door and over toward the bed. What was he doing here? Oh yeah, because he had brought her home. "Are you doing okay?" he said as he put his hand to her forehead.

Lois just stared at him. Oh my god, Cat was right. He was gorgeous! Tall, broad shouldered, well built, how had she missed this for so long? And why were they just friends? He was sweet and kind and caring and apparently completely gorgeous. Seriously, how had she missed that? She kept staring, mentally undressing him, wondering if he was really anything like the dream man who shared his name.

"I'm going to get you some juice, okay?" Lois broke out of her trance at the sound of his voice. Clark had a confused expression on his face as he looked at her. He picked up the empty glass on the bedside table and walked out of the room.


	6. Choices

Hey, you guys! This chapter is a really short, but that's mostly because the next chapter is going to be much longer. And you are going to get it tomorrow. :)

Chapter 6: Choices

Clark was positive he had never seen anything more confusing than this. First, there was Lois' weird behavior last night, and now, she was staring at him like she had never seen him before. Had she figured out his other identity? If so, why hadn't she said anything? It wasn't like Lois to keep things to herself.

By the time he got back to the room, she seemed to at least be more awake. He handed her the glass of juice and a dose of ibuprofen.

"Thanks," she said, swallowing the pills down with a big gulp of orange juice. She gave him a weird look again. Clark didn't know what to make of it. If she was any other woman, he would have called it tender, but this was Lois here.

The oddly tender looks continued, her eyes alternating from the glass back to Clark. He didn't know what to do with this behavior. Usually, he could guess what Lois was thinking; she was a fairly transparent person, but right now, he was drawing a blank.

SSSS

Lois didn't know what to say. Lois always knew what to say before, but not now. What do you say to your best friend when you realize that he may literally be the man of your dreams?

Instead, Lois just starred at her glass of orange juice, freshly squeezed by said man, and took glances at Clark whenever she thought he wouldn't notice. He had taken off his suit jacket, a rare occurrence, and his dress shirt allowed for a much better view.

After about a minute, Clark spoke. "I called Lucy and asked her to pick up Jason from school. She said, since today's Friday, she would be happy to take him for the weekend. I figured you wouldn't want him around all the germs."

Lois tried to hold a normal conversation. "Thanks, I don't need to get him sick too." She paused. "How's the article coming along?"

"It's great. I finished looking through all our data and evidence; we definitely have a case. I was going to start writing up something for Perry to look over. Did you want to help?"

Lois smiled. "Sure, I'll need to clean up a little first."

Clark smiled back. "I'll see you out there in a few minutes then." He turned and left the room, Lois staring at his ass on the way out the door.

Lois pulled herself on to her feet and headed into the adjacent bathroom. She looked horrible. Not that looking horrible in front of Clark had ever bothered her before, but now it did, now that she had realized she had romantic feelings for him. How long had she had these feelings? She definitely had feelings. She just didn't know what to do with them.

She went though her options.

Option #1: Do nothing. Yeah, right. Some people may have the willpower to work across from someone they care for everyday without saying anything, but Lois was not one of them.

Option #2: Seduce him. Pounce, so to speak. He'd never see it coming. Which could be a bad thing. It could end their friendship if he didn't return her feelings.

Option #3: Subtly imply that she wanted more than friendship and see if he takes the bait. If he didn't return her feelings, she would just drop the whole thing and pretend like it didn't happen.

For now, Option #3 seemed like the safest bet. She was going to try being subtle, figure out if he was even interested. Still, she should probably clean herself up; no one said looking good couldn't be a part of subtle.


	7. Questions

Hey, everyone! Here is the promised next chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 7: Questions

It took Lois longer than Clark thought it would to come into the living room of her apartment. When she did appear, he was more than a little surprised at her appearance. Gone was the disheveled Lois he had seen all day. She had combed her hair, washed her face, and changed into a more comfortable outfit.

Well, he was sure it was comfortable for her; it certainly wasn't for him. Her current ensemble of short shorts and a tank top were not helping with his resurgence of amorous feelings. Or rather it was helping, helping them surge faster.

He looked away as she threw herself down on the coach next to him. She leaned over him to look at his laptop where he had already started writing up the expose for Perry. Clark continued to avoid looking at Lois.

Lois started to read his screen. "I still get a byline on this."

"Of course, the article was your idea. You picked up on the discrepancies first. And I'll let you edited it, except for the spelling." Clark grinned.

Lois smirked at him. "Thanks. You are so generous."

"Yes, I am. Speaking of generosity, I made soup. You slept through lunch, so you might want some."

"Maybe later. For now, I'll just watch you write. When you're done, maybe we could have some together."

SSSS

Lois and Clark settled into the quiet equilibrium of work. Clark continued writing their article while Lois occasionally pointed out things she wanted to change. As they worked, Lois slowly moved closer to Clark. By the time they finished, she had softly pressed herself against his side. Clark could feel her heart beating through the thin fabric of her top. Even when he had finished typing and emailed the article to Perry, they continued to sit there, each absorbing the warmth of the other.

Clark broke them out of the trance. "You should probably get something to eat. The soup should be ready by now."

He stood up, leaving Lois feeling cold on the couch. She wrapped a blanket around herself. He returned with two bowls of soup. After handing her a bowl, he sat back down, this time leaving more space between the two of them.

Lois ate her soup for a while before breaking the silence. "Who taught you to cook?"

"My mom, this is her recipe. Martha's Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup. Guaranteed to cure anything.

Lois laughed. "You know what's weird? You know everything about me, but I really don't know that much about you."

Clark looked at her, a little suspicious. "What are you talking about, Lois?"

"Well, for example, I don't know if you've ever had a girlfriend. Sure, I've never seen you with one, but what about when you were younger or during your mysterious trip around the world. You never talk about it."

"You want to know about my past girlfriends?" Clark asked, now puzzled.

"Sure."

"Okay, well, in high school, I had this crush on a girl named Lana. Lana Lang. We didn't actually get together until after graduation because she was with another guy. The relationship didn't last."

"Why's that?"

"I guess we just wanted different things. We tried staying together when we both went to college, but we drifted apart."

"That happens. I never really had any long-term relationships in high school because my dad moved us around so much."

Clark nodded. "I went on a few dates in college, but nothing ever came of any of them. Then I did some traveling, wrote for the newspaper in Smallville a bit, and then moved here."

"Okay," Lois said, "but you must have been with someone since high school."

"Well..." Clark debated whether to try to explain his further dating history, considering it was with Lois and she didn't actually remember it. He decided on half-truth.

"I got together with this woman once, but it fell apart not long after it started." Clark's voice suddenly became emotional. "We jumped into things too quickly. There were too many obstacles that we never thought about. I ended it. If I could do it again, I never would have."

"When was that? Did I know you then?"

"Yeah, you did. I was about six years ago. Before I left."

Lois was surprised. Clark had never talked about any of this. Of course, if she had the timing right that was when she got together with Superman, not that she remembered that very well. She probably would have been pretty self-absorbed right about then.

Something occurred to her. "Clark, is that why you left? Because of this woman?"

Well, there was no point in him holding back now. "Yeah, partly, I needed to get away." Clark left the "from you" unsaid.

Lois moved over and hugged Clark. "I'm so sorry. You know I was really mad at you for leaving. I wish you would have told me why."

Clark nodded as he hugged her back. It was weird pouring his heart out to her. He kept so many things from her. If only he didn't have to.

Lois pulled away. "Well, now that I've ruined the mood of the evening, would you like to watch a movie?"

"Are you asking me to stay and watch a movie with you?"

"Yes, I hate being alone when I'm sick. I would like you to stay."

Clark glanced out the window. Superman hadn't been seen all day. If he went to long without an appearance, people began to speculate.

"I don't know. I do have some errands to run."

Lois tried to hide her disappointment, but Clark noticed anyway. He didn't really want to leave her anyway.

He relented. "Okay, but I have to go after that."


	8. Seek and Find

Hey, everyone! Here it is, the longest chapter yet. Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Seek and Find

Clark did leave after the movie. Lois had fallen asleep snuggling against his chest, and he had carried her into room, carefully tucking her into bed. He hesitated for a moment before leaning down to softly kiss her on the forehead.

He took the elevator up to her apartment roof, shed his work clothes, and took off into the sky. As he went about his nightly patrols, performing small rescues here and there, he thought over the evening. Lois had been bizarrely friendly, not that she hadn't been friendly before, but she had never shown such a need to be touched with Clark. The last time she had been so warm towards him was back when she discovered he was Superman. Though then, things had moved far beyond cuddling.

Cuddling was not going to be her response if she figured out his secret again. That couldn't be what was going on. Still, something had changed to make her behave this way. Clark wasn't complaining. It just seemed to good to be true. It was a quiet night, so he turned in early, falling asleep to dreams of Lois.

He work up to the sunrise shining into his window. He had picked this apartment because of the large eastern windows in the bedroom. In many ways, the sunrise refreshed him more than whatever scant amount of sleep he had gotten the night before. He got up and walked over to the window, letting the golden rays of early morning soak into his skin.

Once he felt sufficiently awake, he crossed the hall to the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. Clark always turned the water as hot as he could. As he washed his hair and skin, he thought over his day.

Technically, Saturday was a day off, but many of the reporters came in anyway, filing last minute stories or dealing with paperwork they had procrastinated on all week. With everything that had been going on, he had joined the last-minute squad, and his absence yesterday had set him further behind. He would probably have to stop by the office before going to see Lois to make sure she was doing okay.

Clark dressed more casually than usual, forgoing the usual suit and tie for khakis and a plaid button-down. He had grown increasingly irritated lately with the means needed to hide his Superman suit under his clothes. Quite frankly, the whole bumbling hick routine had grown a little unbelievable. Surely, a successful journalist who had traveled the world would know enough to buy suits that fit. Unfortunately, the ill-fitting business suits hid his other suit as well as disguising his real size and build.

Still, he had been progressively dropping much of the fake Clark persona and acting more like his real self; his current wardrobe seemed out of step. Sadly wearing the suit under his clothes still seemed like the best method. He had started experimenting with methods to go without it, but so far none of them had quite worked. They either slowed down his changing process or greatly increased the chance of exposure.

He headed to work, getting in early enough that the bullpen was empty. He got to work on all the paperwork he was behind on. About twenty minutes later, he heard the elevator ding but didn't glance up. Thirty seconds later, he wished he had.

"Oh my God, is this actually Clark Kent without his constant companion? I thought you two never left each other's sides. What an unexpected treat!" Cat almost seemed to purr in delight.

Clark looked up at the gossip columnist. "Good morning, Miss Grant. You're in early. I would think," Clark glanced at the time on the computer screen, "7:47 would be a bit ahead of schedule for you."

"I told you call me Cat." Cat grinned before sitting down on Clark's desk. This was not going to go well for him. "Trust me, the news waits for no woman. I had to make sure I got in some of the newest juicy tidbits before someone else scooped me." Cat leaned down flirtatiously. "What brings you in here so early? Rise with the sun, do you? I could live with that though I'm a night owl myself."

Clark was getting really tired of this game. "Cat, can I be frank?"

"Oh course, darling. I enjoy straightforward people."

"Fine, I'm not interested in you."

"I know."

Clark eyes shot up in surprise. "Then why...?"

Cat continued. "Because it drives Lois crazy. That and you might change your mind. I would be thrilled if you did. I'm not looking for anything serious. A quick fling would be sufficient."

Clark put his head in his hands. How did he get in this predicament? A woman throwing herself at Superman he would understand, but Clark Kent?

"Let me ask you one more question. Why me?"

"Honey, if you don't understand why you are more stupid than I thought. You can dress an attractive man in bad suits and dorky glasses, but that doesn't change what he is underneath. And I like what's underneath the best."

Clark just stared at her in shock. How had Cat Grant figured out things about him in less than a month that Lois still didn't see after knowing him for years?

Cat smiled. "I thought so. You are hiding it intentionally. To be frank, that's probably a dumb move. Beauty can get you pretty far when you let it."

Clark said nothing. If Cat figured out that he was hiding, she might just figured out **why** he was hiding. That would be bad.

Cat continued. "Now it's my turn to ask questions. Just answer me this. Are you and Lois sleeping together?"

Clark started to panic inside. First Jason and then Cat had suggested that he and Lois were more than friends. He felt like his whole persona was falling apart. Maybe it was. He pulled himself together enough to answer. "Don't be ridiculous. Why would you think that?"

"I'm not stupid, Clark. You and Lois scream "couple" in so many ways, it hurts. I know, most of you "serious" reporters dismiss what I do. How hard could it be to write about charity events and celebrity trysts? Not hard at all if all you want is to do is cover what everyone already knows. But if you want the secrets, you have to see through the lies and the facades, read between the lines."

"So you read between our lines and decided that we were together? I'm sorry to disappoint you, Cat, but Lois and I are just friends."

"Suit yourselves." Cat stood up and started to walk away. She glanced back. "If you ever change your mind about my offer, you know how to contact me."


	9. Near Miss

Hey, everyone! It's been awhile since I updated. I got a little distracted by Thanksgiving, but I am back with my longest chapter ever. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 9: Near Miss

Lois woke late Saturday morning. Normally, she would have run to the office to see if she could get in any extra work, but today, she still felt ill enough that Clark probably would have her head if he found out about it. Somehow, he always found out about things like that, even when she tried to keep them from him.

Since she wasn't going out and Jason was staying at her sister's place, Lois was left with nothing to do with her day but rest. She hated resting.

In an effort to keep herself occupied, she decided today would be a good day to organize the kitchen cupboards, a task she had been putting off ever since moving into her apartment. Originally, many of her things had been thrown into storage spaces without any sort of structure. Over time, she had fixed most of those spaces, but the kitchen had yet to be touched, probably because she hardly used it.

Today was as good a day as any. A task of that undertaking couldn't be done without coffee though. Coffee was one of the few things she ever used the kitchen for; it made sense that it would fuel its reorganization.

An hour later, she realized that she had gotten in way deeper than she could handle. Every countertop in her small kitchen was covered in pots, pans, appliances, and other assorted utensils. Why did she have all this stuff anyway? She never used any of it. Instead, it just took up space in her kitchen, and now that she had taken it all out, she didn't know how to fit it back in.

The phone rang; Lois grabbed it, glad for the break. It was her sister, Lucy. "Hey, Luce, what's up? How's Jason doing?"

"He's good. Just calling to see how you've been. Clark made it sound like you were pretty sick."

"He was exaggerating. It's not that bad. Just a bug or something. Probably just wanted you to keep Jason out of the way. We don't want him getting sick or anything."

"I'm sure, though Jason seems to be a lot healthier than he used to be. I haven't seen him have an asthma attack for like a year or something. It's like he just suddenly got better. Is that normal?"

Sure, Lois thought, if your Superman's son and your Kryptonian genes finally kick in. "His doctor did say kids often outgrow a lot of allergies."

"I guess so. It was just so sudden and..."

Lois decided to steer the conversation in another direction. "So, anything new in your life? Things still good with Ron?" Lucy had been dating Ron, a coworker of Lois, for several months now. He was the first decent guy she had dated in a while.

"Things are fine, great. We've been talking about moving in together. We'd probably wait for the lease to end on our current apartments and then find a new one. It's so weird when one person moves into the other's space. We'd never really feel like it's ours, just his or hers. Anything new with your romantic life? It's been awhile since you broke up with Richard, you know."

Crap, Lois thought, why did I steer it to this topic? She paused. "Nothing new, just the same old boring life of a single mother."

Silence came from the other end of the line. "Liar," Lucy finally said.

"What makes you think I'm lying?"

"It took you too long to answer. If there was really nothing to report, you wouldn't have to think about it. So spill."

Lois sighed. "Fine, there's this guy. He and I are just friends, but lately I've been finding myself attracted to him romantically...and sexually."

Lucy's voice squealed with excitement. "Really? Is this a friends-with-benefits thing or a real-relationship thing? Because, honestly, you could do with either right now."

Lois sighed. "Please tell me Jason is not in the room right now."

"He's watching television in the living room, has been for hours. The kid wakes up with the sun."

"Good, I think he's a little young to hear his aunt bandy around phrases like 'friends with benefits' with his mother."

"Fine. So, what is it?"

"It's nothing. Nothing has happened."

"But you want something to happen. I just want to know what that is."

"I guess I want a real relationship."

"Good, just make sure you tell me when you and this 'mystery man' make things official." Lois could imagine Lucy putting air quotes around the words "mystery man."

"Fine, but what's with the tone of voice on 'mystery man'?"

"Oh, come on, Lo, I know who the alleged man is. I just need to know when you and Clark start sleeping together so that I can win a bet with Ron."

"You have a bet with Ron over whether Clark and I sleep together?" Lois said angrily.

"No, we have a bet about when. So far, we are closest to my predicted date, so I need to know exactly when it happens."

"I can't believe you! How dare you make such assumptions about my relationship with Clark?"

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"Fine, so you're right." Lois crossed her arms. "Though, like I said, nothing's happened. I don't even know if he's interested."

"Seriously, Lois, for a reporter, you are pretty dense. The man worships the ground you walk on, always has. If you said jump, he would learn to fly. Trust me, he's interested."

Lois' conversation was interrupted by a knocking on her front door. She walked over to it and opened it. Her eyes feel upon Clark Kent dressed in khakis and flannel; her mind pushed things a little bit further. She blushed.

"Sorry, Lucy, I have to go," she said hastily before hanging up the phone.

SSSS

Lois and Clark looked at each other for a second.

"May I come in?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah, sure, come on in." Lois turned away to hide her blush and walked back towards the kitchen. Clark followed.

"I just dropped by to see how you're doing? Are you feeling..." His sentence trailed off when he caught sight of the kitchen. "What did you do in here? Was there some kind of great kitchen war?"

Lois turned around, having finally composed herself. "No, I'm organizing it."

Clark raised his eyebrow in suspicion. "Organizing usually involves making things cleaner." It was just like Lois to spend her day off organizing a space she never used.

"I am making things cleaner. They're just getting dirtier first. That's how it works." She surveyed all the dishes lying everywhere. "Though, I could use some help, if you have nothing else to do." She looked coyly at Clark.

Clark couldn't believe Lois was flirting with him. Yet, that was what she seemed to be doing. Maybe Cat had been right. He grinned. "I guess I could help you out. Since I have nothing better to do."

Lois smiled back. "Great, now, you start organizing stuff into categories, and I'll figure out where I want them to go. It shouldn't take us that long."

Two hours later, they were still working on the kitchen. Lois kept changing her mind about where she wanted things to go. She told herself that she totally wasn't stalling so that she could keep watching Clark moving things around. That was just an added bonus; since his current ensemble showed off more than his usual attire.

Clark and Lois, confined in the small space of the kitchen, kept bumping into one another. Every time Clark accidentally rubbed against Lois, he could hear her heartbeat speed up.

Things seemed like they were finally going to wrap up. Lois went to lift a heavy pot into an overhead cupboard when she felt it slip a little. Clark stepped behind her, grabbing the pot before it could fall and slipping it easily into its spot. Lois turned around to face him.

She was standing right up against him, not quite touching. His arms came down resting on the counter on either side of her. Lois could feel the heat radiating off his body. Clark heard her heart start to race. He couldn't believe this was happening. Lois was falling for him, Clark Kent, the real Clark. He took a tentative step forward. She reached her arms up around his neck and started to pull herself up. He leaned his head down towards hers.

The sound of a woman screaming cut through the moment. Some idiot was robbing a bank downtown. Clark pulled away and looked at the clock. "Wow, I didn't realize it was so late. I have a doctor's appointment across town. I should go."

Clark quickly vacated the apartment, leaving Lois flustered and confused.


	10. Passions

Hey, everyone! Hope you enjoy this new chapter. Sorry about the wait. I bought the final season of Smallville, so I have been kind of occupied. :)

Chapter 10: Passions

Clark didn't remember being this mad at a criminal since Lex Luther created an island of Kryptonite. Damn this stupid moron for choosing right now to point a gun at a teller and demand all the money!

Superman flew past the police already pulling up to the building and right into the lobby. He spotted the would-be robber, pulled the gun out of his hands, crushed it in his palm, lifted the man, and carried him right out the waiting police.

"Here," he said, tossing the man down on the ground in front of the nearest cop car. He then flew straight up before anyone could talk to him. Sometimes, he hated being Superman. If he was just Clark, he would have just kissed Lois right then and to hell with bank robbers. It's not like the bank wasn't insured.

But he knew he couldn't do that. Superman's job was to protect the city and the world. He just had to find some way to do that without destroying his life as Clark in the process.

SSSS

Well, that was an epic failure, Lois thought. One minute it seemed everything was going her way; the next, Clark was running out of here with another one of his patented excuses. Did she do something wrong?

She analyzed the incident in her mind. Clark definitely returned her feelings. If he didn't, he would have stopped things much earlier. Instead, he had actually moved closer to her. Then why had he pulled away at the last minute? Was he worried about hurting their friendship? Was he just being shy?

She could just ask him out, make it blatant what she wanted, but she didn't know how well old-fashioned Clark would take that. She needed to get him to ask her out, if only to protect his sense of propriety. Obviously, subtlety wasn't working here. It was time to try another tactic.

SSSS

Monday morning, Lois came to work early to catch up on what she had missed during her sick leave. She caught the security guard downstairs staring at her butt as she walked into the lobby. She glared at him and just kept walking. That view was for Clark. At least her jacket covered her up on top.

There was no one else in the bullpen, so she got right to work. After about an hour of catching up on email and looking into the breaking news about Superman's early morning help with a raging wildfire in the Rockies, the regulars started to arrive and she started to get nervous. Every time the elevator doors opened, she found herself looking for Clark. Unfortunately for her nerves, he was late today.

About a quarter after nine, she heard the elevator ding. She glanced up again to see the man she was looking for getting off. He looked good, like "I went a bought a new suit that fits" good. Was he trying to kill her? All she wanted to do right now was rip his clothes off of him, right here in the middle of the office.

He was carrying two coffee cups from her favorite shop, and headed straight towards her. Time to see if she could give as good as she got.

SSSS

"Hey, Lois. I bought you a cup of coffee from that place you like." Clark stopped in time to not run into the desk and carefully set her coffee on it.

"Thanks, Clark," Lois said with a mischievous tone in her voice.

It was then that Clark glanced up from the coffee to see Lois' beautiful pale breasts framed by a rather low-cut ice blue top. He flashed back the last time he had seen so much of them, back at the Fortress, years ago. Was she trying to kill him?

He quickly glanced away, afraid he had stared a little too long.

Perry voice bellowed in their direction. "Kent! Lane! My office, morning meeting, now!"

"Thanks for the coffee," Lois said as she stood up and sauntered into the office. Her tight red pencil skirt did not help calm Clark's desire at all. He couldn't help but stare at her backside as he followed her into Perry's already crowded office.

All the seats were taken, so Clark and Lois were forced to stand in the back of the room. Clark barely heard anything Perry was saying because his eyes kept shifting down toward Lois. From this angle, he could she the edges of her bra. The many times Cat had shown him her ample cleavage, he had hardly noticed; when Lois did it, he felt like a hormonal teenage boy.

SSSS

Lois was not fairing much better. It was taking all her will power to keep an outwardly cool manner. Today **would** be the day he choose to actually put on something nice. His apparently new business suit framed his shoulders quite well and tapered down beautifully to his trim waist. And all she could think about was taking it off of him.

This was not the plan. The plan had been to make him so desperate for her that he had to take initiative. Instead, she felt her own self control was being stretched wire-thin. She knew she needed to get away from him to cool down, but Perry kept on talking. She tried to listen to what he was saying. All she had to do was not think about Clark.

SSSS

After the meeting, Clark watched Lois hurry toward the break room. He watched the eyes of several other men follow her as well. Clark felt a pang of jealousy. Why did she have to come the Planet dressed like that? Didn't she know what every guy who looked at her was thinking?

Unless she meant for them to think that, or more specifically, for me to think that, he mused. He had to admit to himself, he was guilty of trying the same thing. It wasn't coincidence that he had chosen to wear his only tailored suit today. If Lois really had begun to see him as more than nerdy partner, he didn't want to discourage that.

Still, Lois had taken this game way too far. While he loved this sexy side of her, he wasn't comfortable with everyone else seeing it too.

As Lois came strolling back from the break room, Clark intersected her before she reached her desk. "Hey, Lois, can I see you alone?" He directed her to an empty conference room, shut the door, and drew the shades on the window.

"Lois, we need to talk." Clark felt uncomfortable. "It's about your...outfit."

"What about my outfit?"

"Well...it's not entirely work appropriate."

"Technically, I don't think anything I'm wearing anything different from what Cat wears everyday. You never seem to object to her clothing."

Clark began to get frustrated. "That's because she's not my partner. I don't think you should be walking around the office revealing so much."

He could see Lois get angry. "I really don't see how you being my partner makes my clothes any of your business. I have no obligation to you. You're not my boyfriend."

"Maybe that's the problem!" Clark yelled.

SSSS

Lois and Clark stared at each other, locking eyes.

"What did you say?" she whispered.

Clark grabbed Lois and kissed her. She responded in kind, pressing her body against his, obviously enjoying the feel of his mouth on hers. He picked her up, setting her on top of some cabinets to make up for the height difference. Her hands moved through his hair as they continued to kiss passionately. They snaked down the back of his neck and around the collar of his jacket. She pushed it off and moved to unloosen his tie.

Clark pulled his mouth away from hers. "Lois, this isn't exactly the best place to start taking our clothes off."

Lois looked at him, breathing heavy. "Yeah, I guess not." She laughed deeply. "Who knew Clark Kent could be so forceful?"

"It's not something I let loose very often," he replied, gazing into her eyes.

"You should; it's rather irresistible." She leaned into him, touching her lips softly against his. This kiss was gentle and unhurried. He had one strong arm around her waist as his other hand caressed her face.

They parted again, huge smiles on their faces.

"Lois Lane?"

"Yes, Clark Kent?"

"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

"It depends. Is this dinner a date?"

"Yes, I am asking you out on a date."

"Then yes, I would love to go out with you tonight."


	11. Confessions

Merry Christmas, everyone! This will probably the last chapter I post before Christmas. I won't have a lot of free time until after the holiday, so enjoy this for now.

Chapter 11: Confessions

Clark was positively giddy. A stupid grin spread across his face every time he looked over at Lois. He still couldn't believe that she was falling for Clark Kent, the man not the Superman. She had always ignored him, entranced by his impressive alter ego or consumed by her own concerns.

She certainly wasn't ignoring him now. If anything, she seemed almost too eager. His sloppy grins were mirrored on her face, and she kept finding reasons to casually touch him, little caresses on the hand and strokes against his arms and shoulders. As much as Clark loved her attentions, he worried that things may be moving too quickly.

Lois didn't know who he was, didn't know that he was Superman and Jason's father. If he let things go too far before he told her, she may never forgive him. Still, there was no harm in strengthening her bond with Clark before he told her the truth.

As things started to wind down for the day, Lois started to give him knowing looks. She and Clark started to gather their things to leave and headed toward the elevator. They stepped in alone, and Clark pressed the button for the ground floor. Part way down, Lois jammed the emergency stop. Clark looked over at her in surprise.

She threw herself at him; their lips locked in a passionate kiss with their arms wrapped tightly around each other. "I've been wanting to do that all day," she said. "So what's the plan for tonight?"

Clark smiled. "Telling you would ruin the surprise."

"At least tell me what I need to wear. Though, personally, I would prefer we wear nothing at all."

Clark blushed. "Lois!"

She laughed. "Am I offending your homespun values, Smallville?"

"Lois...as much as I would love to be naked with you, it might be better if we slowed things down a little bit. I don't want to rush into anything we might regret."

"Oh," Lois said. "I suppose you're right." She let go of him and undid the emergency stop. The elevator resumed traveling downward.

Right before they got off, Clark spoke. "It's casual, by the way."

"What?"

"Just dress casually."

Lois got a gleam in her eye. "Sure thing, Smallville. See you at eight. Be on time."

Clark groaned internally. She was not going to make things easy for him.

SSSS

When Lois got home, she called up her sister to thank her for keeping Jason an extra day. Lucy picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hey, Lo, what's up?"

"Just wanted to make sure it was still okay for you to keep Jason for one more night."

"Sure, I love the kid though I'm not sure why you need me to. Still needing time to recover?"

"Umm...not so much. I have a date actually."

"Oh my god, you're kidding. With Clark? Already? Last time we talked, you acted like you didn't know what you were going to do and now you're going on a date!"

"Woah, slow down there, Lucy. One question at a time."

"Fine, it's with Clark, right?"

"Yes."

"And how did that happen?"

"That's...a long story. Let's just stay it's pretty obvious we're more than friends. And now, we're going on a date." Lois tried to act nonchalant. "It's not a big deal. Just casual."

"Sure," Lucy said, unbelieving. "You haven't been on a date since you broke up with Richard, and now you are about to spend a romantic evening with your best friend. It's totally not a big deal."

"You do know that I am supposed to be the reporter, right? It's not your job to interrogate me. I ask the questions around here!"

"Fine, I'll lay off."

"Good, I need your help. I haven't been on a date in a while..."

"More like forever."

"...and I need you to help me figure out what to wear. What says 'I know you want to take things slowly, but I'd love if you changed your mind about that'?

SSSS

Clark knocked on Lois' door exactly at eight. He had worried that the multi-car pileup he had intervened in downtown at 7:30 would delay him, but he got ready at super speed and landed on Lois' apartment roof at 7:59, making it down to her door by eight.

"Come in!" he heard her yell through the door. He opened the door and strolled into the apartment. He had decided to act like himself tonight, not awkward Clark or Superman. Lois deserved to know the real man behind the masks.

Lois was still in her bedroom, so Clark leaned against the couch. He looked out the glass doors at the balcony. It still amazed him that Lois was able to get an apartment with a balcony on her salary. Clark's place was half the size as well.

He could hear rustling around from Lois' room followed by a load crash. "Lois, is everything okay in there?"

SSSS

Lois swore loudly. Stupid shoes. Why did they always have to be in the least reachable part of the closet? As she tried to pull them down, all the other things she had stuffed up there came toppling down with them.

She heard Clark yell from the living room. She quickly slipped the shoes on her feet and ran out to the living room. "Nothing's wrong, just a little accident in the closet."

Clark stood against the couch, dressed casually in jeans and a leather jacket. He smirked. "Lois, I don't know why you wanted me to be on time. You're not ready to go anyway."

"No, I'm ready."

"Lois, I'm not sure you'll want to wear those heels. We are walking to the restaurant."

Lois glanced down at her shoes. "Well, I'm wearing them anyway. I fought for them."

Clark's smirked turned into a real smile. "I suppose you can if you want though I think you look beautiful no matter what you wear."

"You're not too bad yourself, Smallville."

Clark kissed her softly. "We should get going."

The pair left the apartment hand in hand.

SSSS

Clark took Lois to one of his favorite restaurants, a little hole-in-the-wall that served the best Mediterranean food in Metropolis. They ordered their food and then Clark guided Lois to one of the small, intimate, corner booths.

It seemed to Clark that Lois hadn't given up on the seduction game she was playing earlier today. She was stunning. Tight black jeans highlighted her shapely legs and her red top clung to her in all the right places. He wanted her so much, but he knew now was not the time. Rushing things would only lead to regrets later.

Their conversation started out light enough, but Lois suddenly took a more serious turn. "Clark, if this is a date, does that mean we're dating?"

"Do you want to be dating?" Clark asked in reply.

Lois blushed. The only other person Clark had ever seen her blush around was his alter ego.

"I do." She scooted closer to him in the booth. "Though I really don't see how you could be doubting that after this morning," she said flirtatiously.

Clark could feel his love and passion for her take over as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss. He still wondered about something though.

"Why now, Lois? We've been friends for years."

"I just...I guess...I never really noticed until now. I spent so long chasing after a man I can't have I ignored what I had right in front of me. Come on, you know me, Clark. I'm really not the greatest at self-reflection. But when Cat started pursuing you, I guess it got me to finally realize that I don't want to lose you to anyone else."

"Lois, what about that "man you can't have," what about Superman? When you told me about Jason, you told me that you still loved him, that he was one of the reasons Richard left. Has that changed?"

"I some ways no, I'll probably always have feelings for him on some level, but he's never around, Clark. He can't give me what I want. You're here, you're real. Clark, I think, no, I know that I love you."

Clark sat their in silence, shocked by her revelation. I have to tell her who I really am, he thought.

Lois took Clark's silent response badly. "Oh, god, I shouldn't have said that. I'm not really very good at taking things slowly, am I?" She moved to pull away.

Clark held her firmly to prevent her from leaving his arms. "Lois, I have loved you from the day I met you. I never thought you...you never showed any interest. I'm not upset at you."

Clark kissed Lois again, this time harder than before. Lois crawled into his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist. "We should probably get out of here," he whispered into her ear.

SSSS

Lois shivered a little as they left the restaurant. The temperature must have dropped while they were inside. Like most women's clothing, her top was not made for warmth. She felt Clark's jacket slip over her shoulders. The thing felt like it had been sitting on a heater.

She snuggled up against that heater. "You're warm, Smallville."

She felt his arm wrap around her. "It looks like it's going to rain. The weatherman had said the storm front was going to miss us."

"When are they ever right?" Lois said. She noticed he was now wearing nothing but a short-sleeve t-shirt. "Aren't you going to get cold without this?"

He shrugged. "I'll be fine. Like you said, I'm warm."

They hurried toward Lois' place, trying to beat the rain. Two blocks away, the rain suddenly poured down. They started to run, Lois regretting her choice of shoes. At least Clark's jacket kept part of her dry.

By the time they made it to her building, they were soaked to the skin. She glanced over at Clark as the rode the elevator to her floor. His hair hung in his eyes and his wet shirt clung to his torso like a second skin. He was far more built than she had imagined, every muscle firm and defined; the only other person who could compare was Superman. He stood there casually, completely unaware of how sexy he was.

Lois started laughing at the absurdity of it all. Clark looked at her oddly. "What's so funny?"

"You have..." Lois continued laughing, doubling over now. "You have no idea how hot you are, do you?"

The elevator stopped, opening the doors to her floor. She grabbed Clark by the front of his shirt and pulled him down the hall toward her door.

"Lois, you have no idea how crazy you make me. This isn't exactly taking things slow, you know."

"I think we moved past 'slow' a while ago."

Lois unlocked her door without taking her eyes off Clark. She pulled him inside before kissing him, her hands moving up under his shirt, against his strong muscles of his back. He pulled the kiss deeper, taking his jacket off her, and lifting her up, his hands cradling her hips.

"Lois, you have no idea how much I want you right now..."

She interrupted him. "I might have some idea."

"...but before we do anything, we really need to talk."


	12. Confessions Part 2

"Sneaks into the room* Hey, everyone. So, a short break over Christmas turned into a break over New Years and then a break over January. Oops. Rewriting this chapter twice didn't help things either. I think I finally have it good enough for public consumption. Since it may have been awhile, here's a little reminder of what happened last time.

_Lois unlocked her door without taking her eyes off Clark. She pulled him inside before kissing him, her hands moving up under his shirt, against his strong muscles of his back. He pulled the kiss deeper, taking his jacket off her, and lifting her up, his hands cradling her hips._

_"Lois, you have no idea how much I want you right now..."_

_She interrupted him. "I might have some idea."_

_"...but before we do anything, we really need to talk."_

Chapter 12: Confessions, part 2

Lois groaned. "Really, Clark? You are the only man I know who would choose talking over sex."

Clark's face remained serious. He put Lois down and began pacing across the room. She immediately sobered up.

"Lois, I haven't been completely truthful with you. There are things about me that you don't know. I...I'm not always Clark Kent."

"Okay," Lois said confused. "Are you trying to tell me you have some sort of secret life?"

"Kind of. I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to be straightforward. Lois, I'm Superman."

Lois just stared at him. Clark took off his glasses and stood up straighter. He regretted not wearing the suit tonight, it would have made things a little easier. Lois continued staring. Clark could see her brain working, trying to connect the dots. He really wished she would say something.

Suddenly, Lois charged. Clark saw her fist move toward his face. He bent back, absorbing most of the force of the blow. He could have dodged it altogether, but he knew he deserved it.

"You lying son of a bitch! If I only had some Kryptonite, I'd make sure that actually hurt you." Lois was rubbing her hand, obviously in pain. Clark hadn't heard any bones break, but it was going to bruise.

Lois sat down on her couch, her head hanging down. Clark went into her kitchen and grabbed a bag of frozen peas to put on her hand. He came back out into the living room and handed her the peas. She didn't look at him as she grabbed them. It took him a moment to realize she was crying silently.

He stood there awkwardly for several minutes before she said anything. "I should hate you right now, but I don't. I'm mad as hell, but I don't hate you."

Clark said nothing.

Lois looked up at him. "Just tell me, is Clark Kent nothing but a lie? I feel like I've been tricked into confessing my love to a puppet."

"Lois, the me you know is who I really am. Superman **is** a part of me, but only a part. And when I said I loved you from the day I met you, I meant that."

Lois nodded her head in understanding. "You should leave. I don't want to see your face for a while."

Clark got up, grabbed his jacket and glasses, and left.

SSSS

Lois came to work late the next day. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, instead she had stayed up seething about Clark, Superman, whoever he was. Thinking had only made her angrier, at Clark for keeping such a big secret from her, while being Jason's father, no less, and at herself for never seeing though him before.

Thankfully, Clark wasn't here this morning. One glance at the televisions monitors told her where he was: Brazil, helping out with a landslide. At least, now she knew where he went all the time. That helped somewhat. Not much, but somewhat.

When he did finally come in, she ignored him, making it perfectly clear that she had no interest in interacting with him. Lois could pull off the cold as ice routine better than anyone she knew. The one time Clark tried to interact with her, she would only answer him with terse statements or icy glares. He avoided her after that, disappearing from the office for most of the afternoon.

Around three, Lois heard Perry's voice booming across the bullpen. "Lane! My office! Now!"

Lois hurried over to the chief's office. "What do you want Perry? I've got a lot of work to do."

"Fine, I'll be straightforward then. If you and Clark are having some sort of quarrel, I need you to end it."

Lois' eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me? I really don't see how any issues Clark and I have are any of your business. Besides," Lois said, switching subjects, "you have no idea what he did. If I want to be mad at him, I have every right to be."

"Lois, I have known you a long time. In many ways, you are the closest thing to a daughter I have ever had. Clark is good man; whatever he did or didn't do, I'm sure he had his reasons. You need to talk to him, find out what they are, and then make up. The two of you are far better together than either of you are apart." Perry smirked. "Besides, I can't have my two best reporters feuding with each other. Makes for bad copy. Now get out of my office and back to all that work you have to do."

"Right away, Chief." Lois said as she walked out.

"Don't call me chief!" Perry yelled at her back.

SSSS

Lois didn't know how to react to Perry's advice. She knew he was right. She couldn't stay mad at Clark forever. And they did need to talk about the many issues his revelation had brought up. And she did still love him, both of him, though reconciling her old love for Superman and her new love of Clark Kent made her head hurt.

Yet something was still needed to push her into taking that step towards reconciliation. Emotionally, his deception still stung. She still wanted to be mad at him, wanted him to be the bad guy. She wanted to stamp her foot and yell and scream about how she had been wronged even if it was immature and wouldn't resolve anything.

She slipped into the break room to calm herself with a dose of caffeine. She could overhear one of the young female interns gossiping with Perry's secretary the next room over. They hadn't noticed her presence at the coffee pot.

Normally, she couldn't care less for office gossip, but the sound of Clark's name caught her attention. She scooted closer, trying not to reveal herself.

The intern had said, "You know, there are really no good men around here, at least, no single ones anyway."

"Well, there's always Clark." Perry assistant replied. "He used to be such a dork; I never would have considered him, but he's been different since coming back."

"He's single? I thought he and Lois were together. Heard a rumor that's why she and Richard broke up. Old feelings rekindled or something like that."

"No, they've only ever been partners in a business sense, at least as far as I know. And if they have anything secret going on Cat Grant certainly doesn't seem to care."

"She wouldn't. I never did understand why she kept throwing herself at him, but after seeing him the last couple of days, I think I have a clue. Guess she's just better at picking men than I am."

So this was why Lois usually didn't eavesdrop on office gossip. It just made her more pissed. Except now she was pissed at all of her coworkers for making up rumors about her and planning to steal her man. Because she had decided that he was her man, even though she was still mad at him. She just needed to make sure no one else in this office got any ideas while she cooled down.

SSSS

Clark picked that exact moment to walk out the elevator doors. He saw Lois stride over to him determinedly. He winced expecting a verbal beat down if not another attempted physical one.

He did not expect Lois to kiss him hard on the mouth in the middle of the bullpen. As she pulled away, Clark gave her a questioning look.

"I'm still mad at you," she whispered, "but I didn't want anyone else getting any silly ideas about stealing you away. The roof. After work. We need to talk."


	13. The Aftermath

Hey everyone! I'm back! There are probably only two more chapters left after this one. Hopefully I can post them faster than the last two. *sigh* Actually resolving a story is hard. Anyway, I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 13: The Aftermath

Clark hadn't wanted to show up to the scheduled meeting with Lois as Superman. He wanted her to see him as Clark. Unfortunately, he had been pulled away to handle an earthquake in China late in the afternoon, and by the time he arrived back at the Planet, Lois was already waiting for him on the roof.

Her stance was wary, and she was smoking a cigarette, a habit he thought she had finally stopped. Apparently, these latest stresses had pushed her back into it. Great, yet another thing for him to be proud of.

He landed lightly on the rooftop and tried to relax. Lois starred at him with her head tilted to one side, a slow stream of smoke blowing out of her mouth.

"I could change if you like," he said. "It would only take a moment."

"Hmm," she answered nonchalantly. "I guess I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. Now that I know, I can see "him" in Clark, but I'm trying to see Clark when you're dressed as him. I suppose you could change back to Clark if you want to."

Clark quickly changed back to a business suit and tie. "I'm still the same person you know. "Clark" and "Superman" are both me."

She took another drag on her cigarette. "Yeah, about that. How exactly does that work? You see, the Clark I met on his first day at the office and the superhero I met that same day couldn't be more different. I assume that was intentional, a trick to hide your real identity. Only...which one is your real identity?"

Clark rubbed the back of his neck. "Neither and both, I guess. They're both exaggerated aspects of my personality. I really am the hero who saves people, and I really am the bumbling nerd. The real me is someone in between."

"Have I ever seen the real you then? That someone in between, is that the person I fell in love with? Because if it isn't..." Her voice cracked a little, her cool facade beginning to crumble.

"Lois, no one knows me better than you." Clark stepped forward toward her. "I meant what I said last night," he continued, "I have loved you completely since the day I met you. You are one of the only people I act like myself around."

She stepped back. "I'd like to make things work between us, but I need some questions answered. I feel like I'm at a disadvantage here. You know things about my life that I don't; we have a history I don't understand and I can't stand that." Lois was always the investigative reporter, even in her personal life. She continued on. "First, how the hell did I not figure out this before?"

"Well, technically, you did," Clark replied.

Lois' eyebrow went up.

He continued on. "Back before I left for Krypton, you started to get suspicious. You noticed the resemblance between me and Superman and that I'm never around when he is. So when Perry sent us on an investigative trip posing as newlyweds, you decided to test your theory."

"And how exactly did I do this?"

"You shot me."

Lois' mouth opened with shock.

"With a blank."

Her expression changed to smug satisfaction.

"I didn't realize it wasn't a real bullet, thought my cover was blown, and revealed myself to you. It was a rather clever little ruse."

"Of course it was, sounds like something I would think of." Lois said. "Though I get the feeling that there is more to this story. Keep going."

"So, you knew I was Superman, and you were in love with Superman and I loved you, so...things progressed from there."

"Things?" Lois said with an amused smile.

Clark squirmed. This part of story was slightly awkward for him a recount to her. Bringing to memory their night of intimacy while Lois of standing right there within arm's reach was...difficult.

"I took you to my Fortress..."

"Wait, you have a fortress?"

"Yes, it's up north, though it is less functional now than it used to be. But that's another issue. We went up to the Fortress and we had dinner and...made love." At this Clark blushed, suddenly embarrassed.

"Well, that explains where Jason came from, though I had figured that out somewhat. It doesn't explain why I don't remember any of this."

"There's more. I have, had, a kind of computer program that let me communicate with my deceased Kryptonian father. When I told him about you, he informed me that I couldn't be with you if I planned to continue serving the world as Superman, that I had to choose. I chose you."

"So you just gave up being Superman?"

"Yes, he, my father, took away my powers."

Lois looked at him in astonishment.

"When we left the Fortress, we discovered that while we were gone, Zod had taken over the world. I knew I needed to be Superman again, so I went back and begged my father for my powers back. He gave them to me and I defeated Zod. That left you and me in a weird place. We couldn't be together, but we had to work as partners everyday. You were so distraught. I guess I was just trying to relieve your pain."

Lois looked at him in suspicion. "What did you do?"

"I kind of accidentally erased your memory."

SSSS

Lois stared at Clark in shock. "'Kind of accidentally'? How do you 'kind of accidently' do that exactly?" Lois yelled.

Clark looked like he wanted to disappear. "I didn't really think I could. You were so upset and I kissed you and somehow willed away your knowledge that I was Superman."

"Really? You must have had some suspicion it was possible or you wouldn't have even gave you the right to do that? I could have handled it."

Clark's demeanor changed, and his voice rose in response to hers. "You think you could have handled it? Well, you weren't handling it. You think you're the only one who suffered from this decision? I had to spend everyday working next to a woman I loved and remembered being with, knowing that she'd never give me a second glance because she was too obsessed with my alter ego. Why else do you think I left? I left because I couldn't take it anymore. So, no, I didn't have the right to do what I did, but I had my reasons."

What Perry had said to her earlier echoed through her head. _Clark is good man; whatever he did or didn't do, I'm sure he had his reasons._ Lois grabbed Clark and kissed him. "You're a complete idiot sometimes," she said, "but you're a sexy idiot."

She continued kissing him. His warm lips molding to hers perfectly. "I'm kind of having a hard time understanding why you're kissing me instead of throwing your shoes at me or something," he said in between kisses.

"One, these shoes are quite expensive; two, Perry said something earlier that your little rant reminded me of; and three, you are actually quite attractive when your angry. So I guess I'm going to forgive you. It'll make things easier that way."

"Things?" Clark said with a confused expression on his face.

"You know," Lois said with a gleam in her eye, "things." She slowly ran her fingers up and down the front of Clark's body, lightly brushing against the buttons of his shirt. "In a way, many things are easier now. I don't have to balance my relationship with you with any lingering feelings for Superman, you can be openly involved as Jason's father as Clark, and now that there are no big secrets between us..." Her wandering fingers began loosening Clark's tie.

"If you really want there to be no more secrets between us, we might want to find a more private place than the Daily Planet rooftop." Clark said.

Author's note: If any of you are hoping for a steamy bedroom scene between Lois and Clark, you are out of luck. I have no skill in writing lemons, and I don't feel comfortable doing so, at least not ones that anyone sees. You'll just have to use your imagination.


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